Showing posts with label Sheep. Show all posts
New Zealand Campaign to Make Sheep Shearing an Olympic Event
Posted by Unknown in New Zealand, News, Raw Milk, Sheep, Wool on Monday, 28 January 2013
It
probably had to come, from a country with almost ten times as many
sheep as people: New Zealand wants sheep shearing made into an Olympic
event.
The
New Zealand Farmers Federation, a rural lobby group, claims wool
shearers should be recognised alongside the world's finest athletes for
their "sport".
Jeanette Maxwell, a spokesman for the federation, describes top shearers as "athletes who take it to another level".
She said: "I can testify to the physical effort shearing takes.
"Surely, the time has come to elevate shearing's sporting status to the ultimate world stage.
"One way would be to make shearing a demonstration sport at the Commonwealth Games, if not the Olympics itself."
In March the small North Island town of Masterton will host the World Shearing Championships.
The
event, which attracts competitors from Britain, Ireland, Australia,
South Africa and a handful of other countries, sees large numbers of
fleeces shorn at frantic pace.
Many
of the world's best shearers also take part in New Zealand's own
national Golden Shears contest, which attracts wildly enthusiastic
crowds and extensive coverage in the country's media.
Shearing contests are divided into men's and women's categories.
Both offer considerable prize money and even greater prestige.
Ms
Maxwell pointed out that Irishman Ivan Scott, the current men's world
record holder, gained his world eight-hour solo title after shearing 749
sheep.
Kerri-Jo Te Huia, the women's champion, smashed the previous world record by 37, shearing 507 sheep in eight hours.
Shearing
is already recognised as a sport by SPARC, the government's Sport and
Recreation Council, which provides grants to help run competitions.
New
Zealand's human population of about 4.4 million is outnumbered by a
national sheep flock of almost 40 million, with most lamb meat being
exported to Britain, the Middle East and Asia.
By Paul Chapman in Wellington
Complications of Pregnancy in Cattle
Posted by Unknown in Breeding and Pregnancy, Cattle and Livestock, Diseases, Goat, Sheep on Sunday, 27 January 2013
Suzanne W. Gasparotto
COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY
There
are many health problems that can impact a pregnant doe. Below are some
of the most common ones. The Articles page at
www.tennesseemeatgoats.com contains articles detailing diagnosis and
treatment for most of these conditions.
Congenital
and Developmental Defects: Many birth defects are never seen by the
producer because the doe's body either reabsorbs the embryo in early
gestation or aborts the fetus.Visible birth defects appearing at
parturition (birthing) include cleft palate, atresi ani, and
mummification.
Cleft
palate is a lengthwise split in the roof of the mouth. Atresi ani is no
rectal opening. Mummification is a kid whose limbs are *frozen* in
place and unmoveable. A dead mummified kid may have to be taken apart in
pieces to get its body out of the doe. A live mummified kid may be born
but will be unable to move.
Cleft
palate, atresi ani, and live mummification are conditions requiring
immediate humane euthanasia. All three conditions may or may not recur
if the same doe and buck are bred again.
Ringwomb:
Incomplete dilation of the cervix. Manual manipulation of the cervical
opening should be done by an experienced person -- preferably a vet. The
tissue involved is very easy to damage. Ringwomb may be the result of
inadequate levels of minerals or hormones.
Uterine Rupture:
This condition can occur at any time during pregnancy and is usually
the result of being hit. Impossible to diagnose without veterinarian
assistance. Uterine rupture can also occur when assistance in kidding is
needed and the pushing-pulling-rearranging of kids inside the uterus
results in tearing it. Uterine rupture is often not repairable
surgically and the dam will die within 24 to 72 hours.
Uterine Torsion:
A twisted uterus is very difficult to fix but repositioning it is the
only solution.If uterine torsion is suspected, vet help is necessary.
Periparturient Edema: Swelling
of lower legs in long-bred does. Often but not always associated with
worm load. Usually occurs when multiple fetuses are taking more
nutrition than dam can replace, putting her in a nutritional deficit.
Pregnancy Toxemia and Ketosis:
Nutritionally-related metabolic diseases occuring at the end of
pregnancy and early during lactation. An improper level of nutrition is
the cause. As the dam draws upon her own body's reserves and her tissues
begin to starve, deadly ketones are produced. Oral administration of
high-energy products such as propylene glycol, molasses, or Karo syrup
given orally are necessary.
Abortions and Vaginal Discharges:
Red, brown, or very foul-smelling discharges are not normal and may
indicate early termination of pregnancy. Examples of conditions causing
abortions include interruption of the fetal blood supply when injured,
poor nutrition (insufficient energy), stress (moving, changing feed,
illness), abortion diseases, toxicity (ingestion of poisonous plants or
other substances), surgery, malformation of the fetus during
development, and labor-inducing drugs (dexamethasone). The usual drug of
choice is oxytetracycline 200 mg/ml (LA 200 or generic equivalent).
Hypocalcemia:
Commonly but improperly called "milk fever," hypocalcemia is an
imbalance of calcium occuring just prior to kidding. The first
recognizable physical symptom is usually cold and dragging rear legs.
This nutritionally based illness involves hormonal changes that occur in
the mobilization of calcium when the doe begins to produce milk.
Calcium-rich feeds/hays need to be cut back during the last 30 days of
gestation to prevent excess calcium from being deposited in her bones.
The dam's body needs to be releasing calcium already stored in her bones
for use in milk production. Oral administration of CMPK or MFO solution
are recommended.
Prolapses.
Prolapses of the vagina or the rectum can occur in a doe heavy with
kids. Purse-string stitches and prolapse retainers may help. Prolapses
recurring in multiple pregnancies means that the doe should be culled.
Cloudburst Pregnancy:
False pregnancy, pseudo-pregnancy, more specifically
hydrometra.Everything about a cloudburst pregnancy is normal except that
no kid was formed and a "cloudburst" of liquid comes out of the dam's
body at delivery. Infectious diseases like toxoplasmosis and border
disease may be the cause, as may certain plant materials that contain
phytoestrogens. A more common cause is the chemical alteration of estrus
through artificial induction into heat of does by producers who use
gonadotrophin-releasing hormones.
Mastitis:
The infected udder becomes swollen, hard, and hot from bacteria
entering through the teats. The milk, if any, is stringy, bloody, and
unuseable. Cleanliness of pens and feeding areas is critical. Because
the udder is an interwoven mass of fibrous tissue that is walled off
from the rest of the doe's body, injectable antibiotics cannot get to
the source of the infection. Because mastitis organisms can become
systemic and infect the doe's entire body, a broad-spectrum antibiotic
like prescription Nuflor is recommended. Cai-Pan Peppermint Oil Cream
applied externally to the udder can provide relief from discomfort to
the doe. In some breeds mastitis may occur in certain genetic lines.
Mastitis is usually chronic and therefore a *cull* factor in a meat-goat
herd.
Congested Udder:
Unlike mastitis, congested udder is readily treatable by applying hot
compresses to the udder until the over-filled tight udder softens enough
to get useable milk out.
Retained Placenta: Placental
tissue (afterbirth) should be expelled by the doe's body within 12 to
24 hours after parturition. Retained placenta can be caused by abortion
diseases such as toxoplasmosis or chlamydiosis or can be the result of
selenium deficiency in the doe's diet. Tall fescue grass or hay can be
the culprit. A prescription oxytocin injection may be needed if the
placenta has not passed within the normal timeframe. Do not pull the
placental tissue out, even if it is dragging behind the doe; doing this
can kill her. After a difficult birth, the uterus should be flushed with
a solution of Nolvasan or Chlorhexidine antibacterials to prevent
infection (metritis).
Metritis: Infection of the uterus that can occur with retained placenta or dead kids inside the dam.
No Milk.
If the doe has been a good milk producer previously, then the problem
is either mastitis or nutritional. Feeding tall fescue grass or hay can
cause poor milk production. A non-mastitic freshened doe who is not
producing enough milk should be fed a diet high in legume hay (alfalfa
or peanut hay) and extra grain rations. Occasionally an injection of
dexamethasone can bring a doe into milk. In some breeds, certain genetic
lines are poor milk producers.
After
any abnormal or difficult kidding, the producer should glove up and
manually go inside the doe to check for undelivered live or dead kids.
Be careful not to disturb the tissues attached to the inside of the
doe's uterus. Pregnancy in goats is accompanied by great risks,
occurring outside under a wide variety of dangerous conditions and
usually occurs unassisted. It is remarkable that more pregnancy-related
deaths do not occur. There are many things that producers can do
themselves to assist their goats but there are times when vet help is
essential.
Important! Please Read This Notice!
All
information provided in these articles is based either on personal
experience or information provided by others whose treatments and
practices have been discussed fully with a vet for accuracy and
effectiveness before passing them on to readers.
In
all cases, it is your responsibility to obtain veterinary services and
advice before using any of the information provided in these articles.
Suzanne Gasparotto is not a veterinarian.Neither tennesseemeatgoats.com
nor any of the contributors to this website will be held responsible for
the use of any information contained herein.
Goat, Sheep Farmers To Benefit From 4-Year Improvement Project
Posted by Unknown in Goat, Sheep, Trinidad and Tobago on Friday, 25 January 2013
Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer
Goat
and sheep farmers in Jamaica and their counterparts in Trinidad and
Tobago are set to benefit from a recently launched four-year project
aimed at improving the production, productivity and quality of meat, as
well as the availability of breeding stock in both countries.
Funded
by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), the project which is being
implemented by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development
Institute (CARDI), the long-term objective is to enhance the income and
food security of small-ruminant farmers and meat processors, in the
process reducing the dependency on food imports.
 |
| This three-year-old Alpine ram seen at the Sam Motta Demonstration and Training Centre in Manchester |
During
a recent field trip, which included stops at a Ministry of Agriculture
facility in Hounslow, St Elizabeth, Sam Motta Training and Demonstration
Centre in Manchester and Bodles Research Centre, St Catherine,
stakeholders from Trinidad and Tobago got an opportunity to see the
conditions under which the animals would be reared, slaughtered and the
meat processed. They also got a chance to view some of the animals and
equipment to be utilised in the Diversification of the Caribbean
Livestock Sector through the Production of Small Ruminants project. The
trip included visits to a number of farms, including one in Clarendon
that will provide breeding stock for the programme which will also
include more integrated information and database systems.
Most
of the activities will be executed at Hounslow where the holding,
breeding and multiplication of stock to be distributed, training,
demonstration and attachment will take place. Operated by CARDI, the Sam
Motta Demonstration and Training Centre provides pure-bred and
cross-bred milk and goat-breeding stock for farmers who operate mainly
on mined-out bauxite lands. With a recently constructed goat dairy in
place, it will also serve as a pilot demonstration site. It also has an
integrated crops/livestock production system.
Demonstration Unit
At
Bodles, the visitors got a close-up look at the abattoir which is being
rehabilitated and equipped to handle processing of sheep and goat. The
facility will also act as a training and demonstration unit to be used
for training goat and sheep farmers.
This
first-hand take on the Jamaica operations allowed the visitors to
compare the many issues involved in rearing small ruminants in both
countries, with the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Goat and Sheep
Society (TTGSS), John Borely, identifying praedial larceny as a major
challenge for farmers in the twin-island republic.
"So
in order for farmers to really make money off small ruminants they have
to buy in at a larger scale. It means investing in housing, fencing,
all sorts of costly improvements, and they have to intensify operations
to protect animals. In order to do that, you need to have animals that
biologically are able to grow at a certain rate to justify your
investment," he shared with AgroGleaner.
He
explained: "So while the consumer in the Caribbean traditionally
prefers goat, for the farmer it is easier to make a profit off sheep
because sheep biologically grow faster. You can have a sheep ready to
market in six to eight months, (while) a goat will take 8-10 to get to
the same weight. So sheep have been the choice of the producer while
goat has traditionally been the choice of the consumer."
Describing
sheep as a more versatile meat than chevron (goat meat), Borely
explained that it has a greater potential for cooking in a variety of
ways.
"The
only way people eat goat is curried because it is a fat-less meat. It's
a very lean meat and in order to have it cooked and taste well you have
to marinate it. You have to slow cook, you have to cook it in oil to
get that kind of taste coming out. But sheep you can broil, grille,
barbecue, you can even curry, but it's a more versatile meat.
"The
carcass, also because it fills out more than goat, gives rounder rumps,
you can do more fancy cuts, loin cuts, leg cuts for the hotel and
tourist trade, people who want those kinds of grilled meats and so."
In
order to maximise the potential of the sheep market, the association
set up a branch to buy animals from farmers at higher prices than
before. The animals are then passed through a proper abattoir and into
the hands of a master butcher who "fabricates" the carcass into all
sorts of high-value cuts.
"It's
a fantastic success," he admitted. We started out with maybe one or two
animals per week and now we are up to 20 animals per week. We started
slowly but, once a supermarket (Super Quality Supermarket) bought into
it, they created a whole section with probably the best meat shop in the
region."
Borely
is hopeful that in addition to the technical information that will be
integral in areas such as dairy production, farmers will also get to
share best practices.
christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com
Full Caption
This
three-year-old Alpine ram seen at the Sam Motta Demonstration and
Training Centre in Manchester is a fine specimen of the animals which
will be used to upgrade the local goat stock in keeping with the aims of
a four-year project to be executed in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago
over the next four years. The Caribbean Agricultural Research and
Development Institute is the executing agency for the project which will
be financed by the Common Fund for Commodities. - PHOTOs BY CHRISTOPHER
SERJU
